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from the shuffling-step-in-the-right-direction dept.
Submitted via IRC for Bytram
FTC cracks down on robocalls with new initiative
The Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement partners unveiled on Tuesday a new initiative to combat robocalls. "Operation Call it Quits" is a partnership at the local, state and federal level that includes 94 actions targeting illegal robocall operations, including shutting down robocall companies and issuing fines in the millions.
"Nearly all robocalls are illegal unless you've given consent in writing," Andrew Smith, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said during a press briefing.
The initiative comes at a time when illegal robocalls have permeated not just household and business landlines but also hospital phone lines. These calls run the gamut from services that promise to reduce your credit card's interest rate to operations that say they'll help you earn money from home. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill mentioned during the briefing that last year alone $10.5 billion was lost to phone scams in the United States.
[...] Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission gave wireless carriers the green light to block robocalls for customers by default.
Similarly, the FTC hopes that in the upcoming months Congress will give it greater jurisdiction over telecommunications carriers to trace calls back to their source, according to Smith.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by deimtee on Thursday June 27 2019, @05:17AM
The solution is simple and works in every other country on the planet.
Just simply mandate that all telecom providers must provide a plan that charges for outgoing calls/SMS's only. No using up 'minutes', no fees at all on received calls or messages. That's it.
When they can't charge you for receiving, they have to charge the spammers or do it for free. Guess which they do. Spam stops.
By the way, the rest of the world thinks you buggers are crazy for putting up with that shit. If they tried to charge people here for receiving spam they would be in court so fast they would get done for speeding as well.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.